ABORTION IN COWS 



DAVID ROBERTS, D. V. S 



Abortion m Co^\^s 



David Roberts 

STATE VETERINARIAN OF WISCONSIN 

Author of 
"The Practical Home Veterinarian" 



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'Puhlished hy 

Dr. DaviJ Roterts Veterinary Co. 

Waukesha, Wisconsin 



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Copyright. 1908 

by 

Dr. David Roberts Veterinary Co. 



AUG' ?Q 1909 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. TLe Nature of tke Disease of Atortion— Pop- 
ular Tkeories; Causes oi Abortion; Contag- 
ious or Infectious Abortion; Acciaental 
Abortion; Tests of Infection 9 

II. Effects of Abortion on Profits— Tbe Most 
Destructive of all Diseases; Four Points of 
View; an Estimate of tbe Loss in tbe U. S. 15 

III. How to Prevent tbe Loss, Tbe Great Prob- 

lem — History of Discovery of Treatment; 
W^by Ordinary Means Fail; A Complete, 
Comprebensive and Effective System of 
Treatment; Calves, Heifers, Cows and 
Bulls carry tbe Disease 23 

IV. Relation of Contagious Abortion to Otber 

Diseases — Accidental Abortion; Tubercu- 
losis; Ergotism; Barrenness; Scours in Calves 33 

V. Contagious Abortion can be Eradicated — Dis- 
ease May Exist ^vitbout Apparent Symp- 
toms; Importance of Frequent Examinations 
and Prompt Action 41 

VI. Symptoms of Contagious Abortion Described 

Directions for Examination and Detection 45 



VII. Tbe Treatment and Directions for its AppK- 
cation 



51 



PREFACE 

In this little volume I am compiling all the 
general truths I have discovered concerning 
Contagious Abortion, its nature, sj^mptoms and 
treatment. The whole is intended as far as 
possible to answer the numberless questions 
concerning the disease that are being asked me 
orally and by mail day after day. 

Stock raisers are awake to the importance 
of dealing promptly with the disease, and my 
identification with the discovery and introduc- 
tion of a complete system of treatment, has at- 
tracted such a landslide of inquiries that my 
only escape is to appeal to the agency of the 
printing press. I have been sending to the live 
stock and farm papers throughout the country, 
bulletins on the subject of diseases and care of 
cattle, and many of these papers have aided 
me by publishing these bulletins, which are 
meant to answer or anticipate oft-repeated 
questions on the subjects treated. 

I find, however, that even these periodical 
bulletins are not sufficient. They are either 
forgotten or are not circulated widely enough. 

5 



So I have prepared this book to make more 
permanent the replies to questions concerning 
Contagious Abortion in cows. 

I hope the volume will prove a friend in 
need. If kept at hand, it will surely be more 
timely than any reply I could give personally, 
as the latter would be of no avail in an emer- 
gency where time is the great factor. 

The highest ambition I have concerning this 
book is that it may advance the profits and true 
interests of the live stock industry. 

DAVID ROBERTS, D. V. S. 



The T^ature of the Disease 
of Aoortion 



CHAPTER I 

Tke Nature of tke Disease of Abortion 

Abortion has two distinct though related 
meanings. The word is used to designate the 
act of prematurely expelling the foetus or, in 
common cow parlance, ''slinking the calf." 
While this is the first and most common appli- 
cation of the term, the second, and by far the 
more important designation, is that of the dis- 
ease which is the cause of perhaps ninety per 
cent of ''calf slinking." 

Contagious Abortion 

Before it was understood or accepted that 
abortion is a disease, the act of abortion or pre- 
maturely expelling the foetus, was attributed 
to numberless causes and conditions. 

Some laid the trouble to loosening feeds, 
such as flax seed meal and millet hay that was 
over-ripe when cut. Others were sure that the 
smell of fresh blood at butchering time would 
cause a cow to lose her calf. 

But the most common theory, and one still 
widely accepted even by those who recognize 
abortion as a disease, is that the malady is 

9 



caused by ergot or smut on grasses, corn and 
other grains. A little farther on I will take 
up this last theory. 

I shall not deny that abortion may be hast- 
ened by the use of certain feeds which act upon 
the bowels in such a way as to cause undue 
straining by the cow, and it is quite possible 
that the smelling of fresh blood may be the im- 
mediate cause of the act ; for nothing will cause 
more excitement among cows than the smell of 
the blood of their kind. 

But I am convinced that if every one of these 
cases of abortion, apparently caused by certain 
feeds or periods of excitement, could be investi- 
gated, it would be found that nearly all, if 
not all of them, were really caused by the dis- 
ease of Contagious Abortion, the germs of 
which were in the system of the animal, work- 
ing upon and weakening the genital organs and 
interfering with the functions of reproduction 
and gestation; and that the feed or excitement 
only hastened the inevitable. 

It is quite possible that, aside from these 
circumstances of internal or nervous excite- 
ment, many such cows would have carried the 
calves long enough to give them live birth, but 
in most cases the calves would have come pre- 
maturely. Such are termed ^'living abortions." 
Some would even carry the calf full time, but 
the germs of the disease would remain in the 

10 



system of both the cow and the calf, causing 
trouble later for both. 

In my veterinary practice of twenty years, 
which has been devoted in large part to cattle, 
with special reference to the disease of abor- 
tion, I have found that in nearly every case of 
abortion, except such as were caused by a fall, 
a kick or other absolute violence, the germs of 
the disease were in both the cow and the foetus. 

Accidental Atortion 

As I have intimated, the act of abortion may 
be caused by accident to the cow. A fall, a 
kick by an animal or a brutal attendant, being 
hooked or otherwise injured, may cause the act 
of abortion, but, unless the cow is predisposed 
to the act of abortion by the presence of the 
germs in the system, the violence must be very 
severe to cause the expulsion of the foetus. 

It is, of course, natural for a cow to carry 
the calf full time, and nature persists in her 
course against ordinary interference. So when 
a cow aborts it is indisputable evidence that she 
has suffered great violence from disease or ac- 
cident or both. 

The purely accidental acts of abortion com- 
ing under my care and investigation have been 
few, and I have used them to establish beyond 
doubt the contagious or infectious nature of the 
disease of abortion. 

11 



A Test 

One of my experiments was selecting a herd 
of twenty-one cows, seven of which had aborted 
between the fourth and seventh month of preg- 
nancy. Wads of cotton were soaked in the fluid 
accompanying the expelled foetus of one, and 
placed in the vagina of three healthy pregnant 
cows in another herd at a distance, the cotton 
being allowed to remain an hour. One of the 
cows aborted in twenty- three days, the other 
in twenty-eight days — the first being in the 
fourth and the second in the fifth month of 
pregnancy; and the third cow, being in the sev- 
enth month of pregnancy, aborted on the for- 
tieth day following the experiment, the calf dy- 
ing three days later of scours. This last case 
was a ^ living abortion,'' the scours being the 
result of the germs of abortion in the calf. 

To confirm the positive evidence of this ex- 
periment, a negative experiment was later car- 
ried out. A perfectly healthy cow aborted from 
an injury caused by falling into an old well. 
Wads of cotton were soaked in the fluid of this 
cow and placed in the vagina of healthy preg- 
nant cows, as in the former experiment, and 
no injurious effects resulted. The cows all 
carried calves full time, and no germs of abor- 
tion were found in the genital organs or after- 
birth. 

12 



Effects of Ahortion 
on Profits 



CHAPTER II 

Effects of Atortion on Profits 

Before taking up the relation of contagious 
abortion to other diseases of cattle, I want to 
present the practical side of the subject. The 
interest of dairjonen and breeders of cattle in 
any disease is purely a financial one. If we 
were not seeking for profits in the business 
there would be no cattle industry — no cattle. 
If we were not battling to maintain or increase 
profits, we should devote little time or effort to 
eradicating disease. 

But since our profits depend absolutely on 
the healthy condition of the herds — their free- 
dom from disease — the battle against disease 
is waged continuously. It is a life and death 
struggle between the herds and disease, with 
the chances in favor of the latter, but for the 
intelligent aid of the breeder. 

In this fight against disease, it is but logical 
to assume that the cattle raiser should give 
most attention to the malady that is most de- 
structive of his profits, when he is assured what 
that disease is. 

My experience and investigation impel me 

15 



to declare specifically that Contagious Abortion 
is the most destructive of all cattle diseases of 
the profits of the cattle raiser and dairyman 
of the United States, not even excepting the 
dreaded and dreadful tuberculosis. 

Four Points of Loss 

1. THE CALF 

Abortion prevents the natural increase in 
the herd by loss of calves. Even when calves 
from an infected cow are dropped alive, they 
are weak and diseased, are an expense and a 
source of worry, and very often die in the 
course of a few days or weeks, of scours, which 
is the direct result of the abortion germs in 
their systems. A calf thus born is a multiplied 
source of loss: it causes the loss of milk and 
feed consumed while it exists, a loss of time to 
the owner, and is a loss itself in the end. 

2. THE MILK 

A falling off or total cessation of the flow of 
milk invariably follows abortion. It requires 
no argument to show the dairyman that this is 
a direct cut into his profits, in fact, a vital 
thrust at his only source of income as a keeper 
of cows. 

The loss to beef breeders, though less direct, 

16 



is just as great proportionately; for besides 
losing her own calf, the beef cow is unfitted, 
to the extent of her falling off in milk, for 
suckling other calves of the herd. 

The amount of this loss to the whole cattle 
industry, in the aggregate throughout the coun- 
try, is appalling when we come to consider it. 
From the bases for estimate that I have been 
able to reach, I figure that the loss is from $12 
to $25 per cow affected, or an average of $18 
per head per year. 

There are in America over 20,000,000 dairy 
cows, and not less than 10,000,000 beef cows : a 
total of at least 30,000,000 cows. It is a low 
estimate to say twenty-five per cent, of these are 
suffering more or less from Contagious Abor- 
tion. Thus at least 7,500,000 cows are losing 
$135,000,000 annually, or are failing by that 
amount to produce what they should produce 
in healthy condition. 

The reader may, at the first flash of such 
enormous figures, consider them overdrawn, 
but I am inclined to consider the estimate ex- 
tremely conservative. There are individual 
cows in the country which bring in $250 to $300 
gross annually. There are entire herds averag- 
ing $150 and $200. I do not believe a careful 
dairyman would keep a cow that returned less 



17 



than $100 gross per year. A cow producing 
less than that amount under average conditions 
and cost of feed, should be disposed of, or, what 
is better, put in condition to produce more 
income. It is entirely within reason, in fact, is 
proven by close observation and comparison, 
that a cow with Contagious Abortion will fall 
oif on an average fifty per cent, in her milk, and 
consume just as much feed or even more than 
when in perfect condition. This would figure 
out $50 per head per annum; and, on twenty- 
five per cent (5,000,000) of the dairy cows alone, 
would equal $250,000,000, not to mention the 
beef cows. It is certainly, then, a low estimate 
to put the figure at little more than half that 
amount, ($135,000,000) including both dairy 
and beef cows. 

Note that this tremendous aggregate loss is 
in milk alone, it being impossible to make even 
an approximate estimate on the calves. But 
7,500,000 calves constitute a large loss, when 
their possible value and future usefulness are 
considered. 

3. THE cow 

The third source of loss is in the cow her- 
self. Besides becoming profitless as a producer 
of calves and milk, the aborting cow is a source 
of expense and trouble. Being usually a cow 

18 



that has produced well, the owner hopes for her 
return to former usefulness, and keeps her at 
an actual loss. Often the final result is barren- 
ness, and too frequently a sacrifice on the 
butcher's block, with no attempt to restore the 
cow to breeding condition, which can be done in 
nearly every case by proper treatment. 

4. THE HERD 

The fourth source of loss from the abortion- 
infected cow is the spread of the disease to the 
entire herd and often to other herds through 
the services of the bull to which she is bred. 
Abortion germs are transmitted by all the 
usual agencies of contact in infectious diseases, 
and by this additional and surest of all agencies, 
the herd bull. 

The germs of the disease vegetate and mul- 
tiply in the genital organs of both male and 
female, and are very liable to be transmitted 
to the cow served by the bull that has previ- 
ouslv served an infected cow. 



19 



How to Prevent the Loss, 
The Great Prohlem 



CHAPTER III 

Ho^v to Prevent tke Loss, tke 
Great Problem 

After having proven to my own satisfaction 
that the enormous loss of scores of millions of 
wealth to farmers and breeders was just as real 
as the losses from fire or flood or drought or 
chinch-bug or any other pestilence or calamity, 
I began searching for a means to overcome the 
trouble. Already convinced that abortion was 
a germ disease, I reasoned that it would have to 
be attacked in the animal by injections into the 
circulation. After repeated experiments cover- 
ing several years, I found in a prepared 
'^ serum" an effective treatment. Gradually, 
I worked this treatment into my veterinary 
practice, where it proved itself to be so effective 
that owners came to depend on it, and asked 
for means to administer it themselves. Experi- 
ience soon proved that the *^ serum" treatment 
could be safely and effectively administered by 
the owners themselves, and its use and demand 
accordingly spread rapidly. 

I was not long, however, in reaching the con- 
clusion that, along with the ^' serum" for driv- 

23 



ing the disease out of the blood must go an anti- 
septic wash for treating locally the delicate 
affected parts, to bring immediate relief when 
the disease began to develop. 

It was an easy step from this to the next 
conclusion, that the germs of the disease must 
be eradicated from the stables where infected 
animals had been kept, in order to remove this 
source of contagion. 

To rescue a cow from the effects of the dis- 
ease, while very necessary, is no more impor- 
tant than stopping the source of the disease. 

Thus, I added to the ^' serum'' for injection, 
the Antisepto for treating the genital organs, 
and to this the Disinfectall to destroy the germs 
in the stables where the infected animals had 
been kept. 

This is the complete system of treatment, 
the directions for which are given in the closing 
pages of this book. The plan was developed 
and tested in oft-repeated experiments, then 
put into use in my practice, where it proved its 
efficiency beyond doubt; and finally, offered to 
and accepted by the cattle industry as a reliable 
system for stamping out Contagious Abortion. 

To paraphrase Patrick Henry, ^^ Eternal 
vigilance is the price of profits,'' in the farming 
and live stock industry. The struggle in be- 

24 



tween the unerring instincts of the lowest forms 
of life and the intelligence of the human or 
highest form. And human intelligence, to come 
off conqueror, must not only invoke the aid of 
science, but must take one lesson from the germ 
itself : attack at every point whenever opportu- 
nity offers. 

The germs of Contagious Abortion not only 
work on the diseased animals, but are found in 
the barns where diseased cattle have been 
housed, ready to attack every animal rendered 
susceptible to attack. They go farther back, 
and are found to affect calves dropped by cows 
infected with contagious abortion. 

W^ky Ordinary Means Have Failed to 
Eradicate tke Disease 

The giving of medicine per mouth, by 
drenching or dosing, disturbs the normal action 
of the bowels, and fails to reach effectively the 
sources of the trouble. In fact, this method 
often weakens the vital activities and thereby 
increases the susceptibility of the animal to 
attack, and thus aggravates the condition it was 
intended to relieve. 

I want to say, in passing, that a cow should 
never be drenched for any trouble. There are 
better ways of administering medicines, with- 
out the dangers of drenching. 

25 



Disposing of the Cow- 
It is a common practice, when Contagious 
Abortion is discovered in a herd, to sell at a 
sacrifice those that abort, thereby hoping to 
banish the disease. But the abortion germ sits 
in legions upon every vantage point about the 
stable where this cow has been kept, and is not 
disturbed by such procedure. And the germs 
in the cow, if she is sold to another herd, rejoice 
in the prospects of new and fertile fields. 

In selling the aborting cow, of course the 
dairyman contemplates replacing her. He usu- 
ally sells her at a sacrifice and cannot purchase 
her equal, when healthy, for the same money. 
So he has suffered a direct loss. The cow pur- 
chased to replace her will be immediately ex- 
posed to infection, both from the rest of the 
herd and from the stable, where the aborting 
animal was kept, and will certainly be infected 
as soon as her condition is favorable. So it is, 
that the attempt to get rid of the disease by 
selling off and substitution becomes a means 
of spreading the malady to other herds, and to 
new additions to one's own herd. 

Neither Direct Treatment nor Disinfection Alone 
Will Accomplisk Permanent Results 

While the ^^ serum'' treatment will destroy 
the germs in the mother's blood, and the Anti- 

26 



septo will destroy the germs in the genital or- 
gans of both the cow and the bull, the import- 
ance of Disinfectall must not be overlooked, as 
the means of destroying the germs in the 
stables occupied by infected cattle. 

On the other hand, disinfecting the stables 
and cleansing the diseased organs will avail 
nothing permanent, while the disease runs riot 
through the system of even one animal in the 
herd. 

Complete, Compreliensive Treatment or the AiVnole 

Hera and Inrectea Quarters, tne Only 

Effective Method 

The combination of the three effective agen- 
cies of germ destruction into one system of 
treatment will rid any herd of this most dread- 
ful scourge. 

Let it be kept in mind that everything in the 
herd, excepting steers, require watching and 
treatment. 

CALVES 

The germs often affect calves when dropped, 
even if they are carried full time, where the 
cow has the germs in the system. But calves 
dropped before full time, ^'living abortions, '' 
are sure to carry the germs in the blood; and 
since these almost invariably have scours, the 
excrement is a fruitful source of infection for 

27 



carrying the disease to other calves and cows 
of the herd. 

HEIFERS 

Apparently healthy heifers may carry the 
germs in the blood from birth or be infected 
when calves, and show no signs of abortion un- 
til pregnant, when the germs instinctively be- 
come active and vegetate rapidly at every van- 
tage point in the system. Close and frequent 
examinations, according to directions given 
farther on in this volume, will disclose the early 
symptoms of the disease, and with prompt ac- 
tion the calf can be saved. 

cows 
A cow that has calved is the most suscep- 
tible to attack, and is at the same time the most 
prolific source from which the disease may 
spread. This is especially true if the after- 
birth be retained. In fact, the retained after- 
birth is often the source of origin of Contagious 
Abortion in a herd. At calving time the sys- 
tem of the cow is in an exhausted condition and 
the genital organs peculiarly susceptible to the 
invasion and spread of disease. Abortion 
germs in the system, though in comparatively 
small numbers and low state of activity, be- 
come active and increase rapidly at this time. 
The retained afterbirth becomes a hot-bed for 

28 



germ propagation and barrenness often re- 
sults from the violence of the disease. 

The afterbirth, even when dropped within 
reasonable time, still remains a fertile field of 
propagation and infection, unless buried or 
burned at once. The genital organs of the cow 
should also be given antiseptic treatment as 
soon as possible. 

THE HERD BULL 

It may seem strange that the bull should 
become the most dangerous and active source 
of abortion ; but a moment's reflection will show 
the reason for this. The sheath of the bull, next 
to the diseased organs of the cow, is the most 
fertile source of germ propagation. As soon 
as the bull serves an infected cow, he is in con- 
dition to infect the next cow he serves, and the 
next, to the entire herd, and all outside herds 
where his service is used. In spreading the 
disease in one's own herd, and in carrying it 
abroad to other herds, the bull is therefore the 
greatest source of danger. 

One should not only see that his own bull is 
free from infection at each service, but that all 
cows brought to him for service are free from 
symptoms of the disease. 

THE WHOLE HERD 

Thus the necessity of treating the entire 

29 



herd, except steers, is apparent; for while one 
infected cow, bull, heifer, or calf remains, the 
entire herd, and the neighboring herds, are in 
danger. 

Steers are not a source of infection and do 
not require treatment, for the reason that when 
an animal is castrated he loses the means of 
transmitting the disease, and the system having 
no sources for germ propagation, rids itself of 
the effects of the disease. 

Cleansing the genital organs of cows and 
bulls with antiseptic treatment, and cleansing 
the entire systems of cows, bulls, calves, and 
heifers by the hypodermic injection of Anti- 
abortion ''serum" completes the treatment, so 
far as the animals themselves are concerned. 
Thorough disinfection of the stables completes 
the entire system of treatment, and wipes out 
the germ at every possible source of propaga- 
tion. 

Not a Tkeory 

If this system were merely a finely spun 
theory, I should not be writing this book. But 
it is the result of experiment and experience 
through twenty years' of practice, and is con- 
firmed by every one of thousands of owners who 
have followed the plan out in its details. 



30 



Relation of Contagious Aoortion 
to other Diseases 



CHAPTER IV 

Relation of Contagious Atortion 
to otner Diseases 

1. Accidental Atortion 

When a cow aborts solely as the result of an 
injury, the disorder cannot be called a disease ; 
but unless the cow so aborting is looked after 
carefully, Contagious Abortion often results. 
For the cow is in the most susceptible condition 
possible for infection. The retaining of part of 
the afterbirth or foetus will often result in Con- 
tagious Abortion. 

2. Tuberculosis 

A striking fact, developed from my exper- 
ience as a veterinarian, is that fully seventy- 
five per cent of all cattle slaughtered because 
of tuberculosis were also infected with Con- 
tagious Abortion. 

This observation tends to corroborate a 
theory at which I had arrived in another way, 
that contagious abortion germs in the system 
prepare the way for the entrance of other dis- 
ease germs, and predispose a cow to tubercu- 
losis and other serious disorders. 

33 



3. Ergotism 

When a cow aborts, of course the act must 
be attributed to some cause. Many simply jump 
to the conclusion that the cow has been sub- 
jected to violence in some way ; others attribute 
it to feeds or periods of excitement, without in- 
vestigating the case. 

Perhaps the most common cause to which 
abortion has been attributed is ergot. 

The action of ergot upon the animal has a 
tendency to contract the womb upon the foetus 
and this was thought to be the direct cause of 
abortion. 

The common term for ergot is smut, and this 
is often seen upon grasses, corn, and other 
grain, and is more prevalent during some sea- 
sons than others. 

In the spring of 1893, my attention was 
called to a number of cattle afflicted with ergot- 
ism, having consumed a large amount of June 
grass, the June grass being so affected with 
ergot as to cause this herd of cattle to lose their 
feet and the ends of their tails. Many of them 
were seen walking around after the claws and 
first joints had dropped off. One animal in par- 
ticular was so affected as to have her feet partly 
drop off. But upon change of feed and a course 
of treatment, recovered from the disease. She 

34 



being pregnant at the time of this trouble and 
carrying her calf full time, is sufficient evidence 
that in this case ergot had nothing to do with 
abortion. 

On the theory that ergot would cause abor- 
tion, owners of fine cows accidentally getting 
with calf from grade or mongrel bulls, have 
tried to bring about abortion by administering 
large doses of ergot. The failure of such at- 
tempts in every case coming to my knowledge 
or observation is further evidence that ergot 
does not cause abortion. 

The fact that a cow afflicted with ergotism, 
or any other disease, aborts, does not prove nor 
indicate that that disease is the cause of the 
abortion. Examination and test will show in 
nearly all cases that the cow is suffering from 
Contagious Abortion, in addition to other ail- 
ments, and the act of abortion is the direct re- 
sult of the activity of the germs of Contagious 
Abortion. 

4. Barrenness 

Barrenness results from abortion in two 
ways : 

First, the presence and activity of abortion 
germs in the womb will cause barrenness ; the 
germs causing a catarrhal condition of the 
womb and destroying the vitality of the semen 
of the bull, thus preventing conception. 

35 



The destruction of the germs of abortion in 
the system of the cow, by the ^^ serum'' treat- 
ment, will often overcome this form of barren- 
ness and restore the cow to her former useful- 
ness. 

Second, the diseased condition of the genital 
organs in Contagious Abortion frequently 
causes the mouth of the womb to become raw 
and irritated. When the disease is eradicated 
from the system, the mouth of the womb will 
heal up in a calloused condition, and become 
completely closed. This prevents the cow from 
breeding, and is usually regarded as permanent 
barrenness. But even this form of barrenness 
can positively be overcome by a special treat- 
ment. 

Positive permanent barrenness is far less 
common than is generally believed. Only the 
absence or destruction of the ovaries, or other 
vital parts of the reproductive organs, or con- 
stitutional interference with their functions, 
will produce permanent barrenness. 

No dairyman or breeder should dispose of 
a valuable cow because she does not breed, until 
he has thoroughly investigated the cause and 
made an effort to remove it. 

5. Scours m Calves 
I have already called attention to the fact 

36 



that scours in calves is often the result of Con- 
tagious Abortion germs born in the calf. This 
disease, like all other developments of abortion, 
is communicable to other members of the herd. 

Housing of Cattle 

While this subject is not directly under dis- 
cussion here, I cannot pass on without repeat- 
ing what is everywhere urged : give cows plenty 
of sunlight and good ventilation. Damp, dark, 
poorly-ventilated quarters, partly underground, 
are absolutely certain to prepare the way for 
disease to enter, and to spread to the entire 
herd whatever contagious malady may affect 
one or more animals. An open shed is prefer- 
able to dark, foul basement stalls. No amount 
of fumigation or disinfection can make up for 
lack of air and sunlight. 



37 



Contagious Ahortion can 
he Eradicated 



CHAPTER V 

Contagious Abortion can be Eradicated 

Procrastination is not only the thief of time, 
but the purloiner of profits in the live stock 
business. And there is no disease of cattle, ex- 
cepting possibly tuberculosis, that advances 
more stealthily "under cover" than Contagious 
Abortion. An entire herd may be afflicted with- 
out apparent symptoms. Later, the disease 
may so develop as to render treatment unavail- 
ing as far as saving the calves is concerned. 

But when careful examinations are made at 
frequent periods, the first and less apparent 
symptoms will give ample opportunity to drive 
the disease from the system, save the calf and 
leave the cow in good condition for milk pro- 
duction. 

Nothing is surer than the absolute eradica- 
tion of abortion, if the system of treatment is 
persistently pursued. 

Even when the disease has advanced so far 
as to kill the foetus, the cow can be saved and 
placed in prime breeding condition after the 
foetus is expelled ; while without treatment, she 
is likely to become barren and worthless, be- 

41 



sides being a source of infection to other cows. 

Does the Treatment Hurry Abortion ? 

When Contagious Abortion reaches the 
stage in which the umbilical cord of the foetus is 
so diseased as to shut off the circulation from 
the mother, and, as a consequence, life ceases in 
the foetus, the treatment has a tendency to 
cause the act of abortion. And this is one 
of the good points of the treatment. For the 
longer the foetus is carried after life is extinct, 
the greater the damage to the cow and the dan- 
ger to the herd. 

No cattle owner should hesitate to begin the 
treatment at any stage of the disease; for the 
final result is always the complete stamping out 
of the disease, and delays at any time not only 
defer this desired result, but entail material 
losses. 

If a pregnant cow, not affected by abortion, 
be treated as a precaution, the treatment has no 
ill effects on her. Neither is any ill effect pro- 
duced upon the quality of milk when milch cows 
are treated. 



42 



Symptoms of Contagious 
Ahortion Descrwea 



CHAPTER VI 

Symptoms of Contagious Abortion 
Described 

Abortion germs may exist for months, or 
even years, in the system of an animal, in a 
comparatively inactive state, without making 
any distinct outward sign of their presence. 

A number of cows aborting in a herd should 
be looked upon with suspicion and any of the 
following signs looked for: swelling of the 
udder and vulva; separation from the balance 
of the herd; dullness; cessation of chewing of 
cud; restlessness; stamping of the hind feet; 
passing of a small water bag and a little later 
a foetus. Sometimes both are expelled to- 
gether; then again the foetus will be expelled 
and the afterbirth retained. 

The first certain s^nnptom is the appearance 
of small red patches in the vulva. Frequent ex- 
aminations should be made in this manner: 
have a helper hold aside the tail of the cow, 
heifer, or calf, and, with your two hands, open 
the lips of the vulva. The appearance of small 
red patches on the lining membrane of the vulva 
is unmistakable evidence that the animal is in- 

45 



fected and in condition to spread the disease. 
Service of the herd bull to a cow or heifer show- 
ing these symptoms will infect the bull and ren- 
der him in condition to spread the disease to 
your entire herd and other herds where he is 
used. 

If in the pregnant cow or heifer there ap- 
pears with the red patches in the vulva, a secre- 
tion of white matter, prompt action should be 
taken, as she is in bad condition. 

Swelling of the udder and vulva at any time 
before the last month of pregnancy, are ad- 
vanced symptoms of abortion, and the crisis 
may come at any time. However, prompt 
.attention will often prevent abortion even at 
this advanced stage of the disease. 

Waiting for Distinct Symptoms is Dangerous 
and Expensive 

When the first appearance of the red patches 
in the vulva is noticed, it is the part of wisdom 
not only to disinfect the stables and treat the 
affected parts of the animals showing symp- 
toms with the antiseptic wash, but also to 
administer the ^' serum" per hypodermic 
syringe. In fact, this last mentioned treatment 
should be first, as eradicating the disease from 

46 



the blood is the only way to render local treat- 
ment effective. 

Further: the discovery of one diseased ani- 
mal in your herd is very strong circumstantial 
evidence that the others are infected. They may 
only show poor general condition, or may ap- 
pear to be in perfect health, but they should be 
under strong suspicion and continually watched 
and frequently examined. Many owners run no 
risk, but treat the entire herd so as to forestall 
the disease. 



47 



The Treatment and Directions 
for its A;^;^lication 



CHAPTER VII 

Tke Treatment and Directions for 
its Application 

The three preparations named in the follow- 
ing directions, the Anti- Abortion ''serum/' 
Antisepto and Disinfectall, are the prepara- 
tions I have used in this systematic treatment 
in my practice. They are in use in the hands 
of hundreds of breeders, large and small, 
throughout the country. Administered as di- 
rected, they constitute a completely effective 
treatment. 

By injecting the Anti- Abortion ''serum'' in 
under the skin of the cow, heifer, or bull, with 
the use of a hypodermic syringe, the germs of 
this disease in the system of the animal are de- 
stroyed. By washing out the sheath of the bull 
and the vagina of the cow with an antiseptic 
solution made with Antisepto, the germs that 
gather in the discharge are entirely removed, 
and by disinfecting the stalls with Disinfect- 
all, the germs of this disease in the stables are 
destroyed. 

51 



Directions 

into a cup and have ready 
for use. Fill this syringe (Fig. 1). It holds 




Fig. 1 Fig. 2 

exactly one dose for animals over one year old. 
Stock under one year and over six months old 
should receive one-half syringe full, calves from 
three weeks to six months, one-fourth syringe 
full, at each injection. Steers need not be 
treated. 

Pick up the skin of the animal with the left 
hand directly back of the shoulder blade and in 
this manner (Fig. 2) with a quick, short jab 
with the syringe, insert the needle into the skin. 
Then press in piston. 

Cattle can be treated in the stable very 
easily. 

The illustration on the opposite page shows 
a cow being treated in the barn-yard. 

Whether you give treatment in the stable, 
barn-yard, or pasture, you will find that each 

52 



13 



3H 




•.^iJI 




animal can be given the Serum in less than one- 
half minute. 

By giving these injections you will eradicate 
all germs of Abortion from the system of the 
animal. 

After each injection of the Serum, the gen- 
ital organs of a cow or bull should be treated 
with the Antisepto according to directions 
below. 

Germs in Disckarge 

Take one tablespoonful of Antisepto to one 
quart of luke warm water, and with the hose and 




Fi«. 3 



funnel flush out the genital organs of the cow, 
as shown in Fig. 3, inserting the hose about six 
inches into the vagina, and pouring in the solu- 
tion as indicated. ' •'- 



53 



All cows and heifers having an unnatural 
discharge from the vagina should have their 
genital organs washed out once daily with the 
Antisepto solution, until all discharges cease. 
This is important, as animals showing a dis- 
charge are in a condition to spread the disease. 




Fig. 4 

The sheath of the herd bull should be washed 
out with the Antisepto solution once a week and 
after each service. Insert the hose about three 
inches into the sheath of the bull and pour in 
the solution, as shown in Fig. 4, a helper hold- 
ing the sheath to prevent the hose slipping out. 
This treatment will protect the bull from becom- 
ing infected, and will prevent him from infect- 
ing cows and heifers bred to him. 

Where a large number of animals must be 
treated with the antiseptic wash, the flushing 
tank shown in Fig. 5 is a great convenience and 
saves much time. 

54 



ra. ^ 

3 no. 




The hair on a cow's tail should be kept 
closely clipped from the tuft or brush up to the 
body; also the hair at the end of the bull's 
sheath. When the hair is left long in these 
places it accumulates pus and other discharges 
and constitutes a fertile source of germ propa- 
gation and infection. 

Clean Your Bam Floors 

One ounce of Disinfectall to one gallon of 
water will make a powerful disinfectant. 

Take an ordinary sprinkling can, fill it with 
water, put in your Disinfectall, in the above 
proportion, and sprinkle your stable floors free- 
ly. If you use whitewash, add one or two ounces 
of Disinfectall to each pail of whitewash. 

Use Disinfectall once a week. 

Care of Herd Under Treatment 

A COW in heat should be kept in during that 
period. 

The bull should not be allowed to run with 
the herd, and should not be permitted to serve 
cows from other herds; nor should you take 
your cows to other herd bulls. 

A cow that has aborted should not be bred 
until such time as she would have come in heat 
if she had carried her calf full time, and not 

55 



then unless she is perfectly clean and free from 
any vaginal discharge. This is important, as 
a disregard of this rule is contrary to nature 
and hurtful to the cow. 

Bury or burn afterbirth or foetus, and thor- 
oughly disinfect the stalls. 

Special care should be taken in keeping 
stables clean and well ventilated. The liberal 
use of whitewash and plenty of sunlight are de- 
sirable; also thoroughly disinfect with Disin- 
fectall. 

Take it Altogetter 

^^ Serum'' treatment once a week to remove 
the germs from the blood. 

Antisepto, as directed, to remove the germs 
from the discharge. 

Disinfectall once a week to destroy the 
germs in the stables. 

This simple treatment, carried out syste- 
matically, meets the germ at every turn, and 
will positively wipe out the disease of abortion. 



56 



